Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil
by itachilover16
Summary: Everyone is reborn at some point or another. That's a cold hard fact. When it was my time, I didn't know where I'd end up and now I wished I had at least tried to fight. Because now I'm in one of the worst places to be reborn in.
1. Chapter 1

When you die, you learn all about the universe. And I do mean everything. You know how the world works the instant of death. It's something that everyone has knowledge of, something that happens to everyone.

Imagine my surprise then, when a Shinigami appeared before me in the Universal Library.

Maybe I should backtrack for a second. The Universal Library is where all souls go. Who you were, how you acted, that determines how the Library looks. So if you believed you were a sinner, the Library would look like your perception of Hell. Shinigami, Grim Reapers, whatever you call them, those are the librarians. They keep the place running and they work under their boss, an entity whose identity is the most well kept secret ever. Some call it God or Allah or Shiva or Zeus. It's an entity that is all and one at once(or at least that's how I perceived it).

Anyways, Shinigami only appear to you in certain circumstances. I had been reading a book titled _Secrets of the Universe: Your Guide to the Universal Library_ when one appeared before me. I knew instantly that it was a Shingami because no one was supposed to share your perception of the Universal Library unless they were your soulmate(and I would definitely recognize my soulmate, trust me).

The Shinigami carefully approached me, its black cloak swirling dangerously behind it. I slowly put the book down and stood, watching it with narrowed eyes.

"You are number 139607, correct?" Each soul was labeled with a number to make things easier for the Shinigami. I nodded tensely. "Come with me." I followed silently, because you couldn't resist a Shingami, no matter what.

I was led to a door, which opened up into a completely white space(think the last episode of _Neon Genesis Evangelion_). My stomach flipped and my eyes widened. I knew what this was.

"You have been randomly selected to experience rebirth. Will you erase all files?" The monotonic, generic male voice asked, turning to me with a somewhat dramatic flip of a cape. I swallowed thickly.

"I-I will not. Instead, I offer part of myself in exchange for retention of all memories." It was an override that only souls who have been in the Library long enough know. Luckily for me, I've done it a few times.

The way it works is this; I remember everything, including my time in the Library but I must give up part of my soul that will be restored either by death or a dramatic event. What's taken will be determined based on events prior to being received by the Library. In other words, my past life.

"Override accepted." The Shinigami's eyes glowed red and darkness cloaked the dimension. I shivered at the cold feeling permeating my soul, searching for the part that would be stolen from me.

The probing fingers flew out of my mouth, grasping a purple ball of light. My stomach sunk low. Whatever was stolen had to be a physical impairment, going by the color it gave off. I shut my eyes tightly, hands shaking.

The floor beneath me suddenly gave way and I was falling. I didn't bother screaming because I knew it'd only be a matter of time before I was born.

I opened my eyes to a bright, new world.

...

..

.

My name was Fujioka Yuri. It wasn't until a few hours after my birth that I'd realized what I had given up.

I couldn't make _any_ sort of noise with my throat. There was no loud crying when I was born and that scared the nurses and the doctors. After all, my vocal chords were perfectly fine. Babies cried when there was pain, but no sound came out of my mouth. Oh, the tears and the squirming still happened, but nothing came out. It was like something was holding me back from making noise.

Well, I was kept in the hospital for a few months so I could be monitored. Whatever new world I had been born into, it sure wasn't as technologically advanced as the one I had been in last time. Nor were the doctors especially smart(in my opinion). Though I had been a bratty teenager when I died, I could've easily identified the psychological implications that a voiceless baby was exuding. Clearly something mental was keeping me from speaking.

But that was only half right.

There _was_ something mental, but it wasn't of my own doing. The Shinigami had put a rock solid barrier in my mind, keeping my voice and memories safe. It was much like a vault that couldn't be broken into unless you had the key. I had the key to the memories, but not to my voice. That would probably never be granted to me unless I was in a serious predicament.

Besides, when would I ever be put into a life-or-death situation?

...

..

.

My mother died when I was born, so I never knew who she was. Later, my father would tell me I looked almost exactly like her. I've seen pictures, and frankly, he must be loco. The only real connection I saw was her eyes. They were a brilliant shade of green that shamed even emeralds. My own eyes weren't as brilliant but they were still pretty vibrant.

Up until I was about three, I had no idea where I'd been. For all I knew, I could've been my own grandmother(though that would be so universally _wrong_ because the same soul cannot exist in the same timeframe). It all changed once my father took me around my village and I somehow recognized places I'd never been to before.

With a sinking feeling, I turned completely around. If it was there, then I'd be screwed. If it wasn't, I might've been hallucinating.

Nope. There it was, right in my face. The Hokage Monument. Four stones faces gazed at me, piercing my very being.

Without a second thought, I fainted into a black nothingness not unlike the one that brought me into this world.

* * *

So I am an avid fan of reborn self inserts and I thought I'd try my own. I don't really remember where I came up with the idea of the Universal Library, but it seemed pretty cool and ya know original. Not many SI OCs have really explained _how_ they were reborn, just that they were. I also wanted to do an impaired OC because I don't see much of those either. Yuri knows that she has no choice but to reborn and she would rather have memories and something wrong with her very soul than forget because she's done that once before and it was _not _pretty. I'm also hoping to explore why her _voice_ was taken and not anything else. She could've ended up with a missing limb or something tbh. Oh yeah, Yuri _will_ be able to talk a few times but only when the situation is life-or-death(or at least if she perceives it that way). So yeah, leave a review or something. I'd like to know if this would be an interesting read.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I only own my OCs. **


	2. Chapter 2

Woot, second chapter already! I've started on the next one so it'll be up within the week. Hope everyone likes it! Also, don't forget to leave a review!

'_**this is sign language'**_

_'this is thoughts and emphasis'_

**'this is writing'**

* * *

My stomach flipped as I went into the examination room. Iruka had a kind, gentle smile on his face.

"It's alright Yuri-chan. Just take a deep breath and perform the jutsu I ask." I nodded, grabbing my ponytail and twisting it nervously. Iruka tapped his clipboard absently and my eyes narrowed in on the page. I knew what jutsu he was going to ask.

"Alright then. Perform the Clone Jutsu." My hair whipped my neck harshly as I concentrated. My chakra levels drained slightly before a puff of smoke emerged and three copies of myself stood in a loose circle around me, looking poised and perfect. Iruka stood and strut forward, examining each clone with a critical eye. Finally, he nodded.

"Excellent work Yuri-chan. From now on, you are a shinobi of the village of Konohagakure. Protect this village well." I inclined my head, feeling humbled, and accepted the the forehead protector.

**'Thank you Iruka-sensei, for teaching me how to be a shinobi,'** I wrote on the notebook I carried with me all the time and shyly shoved it under Iruka's nose. He smiled and ruffled my dark locks. I absently grabbed a piece of hair and twisted it around my finger. It was getting pretty long and soon I'd need to cut it.

"You're welcome Yuri-chan." His eyes and voice were soft as he addressed me. "Now, I believe I have to administer another test. Good luck with your career."

I bowed and left the room, my heart racing in my chest. After twelve years, I was finally at the start of the race. It was rather cliché to try to change the plot but since this was just an alternate timeline, I didn't see the harm in it. I may as well make the most of this life.

Excitedly, I ran down the hall, unconsciously searching for my dear friend, Daisuke. Daisuke was like me; he'd been reincarnated with his memories intact. Of course, he too had to give up a part of himself in order to retain them. What he lost was actually pretty major but it allowed him to be an outstanding shinobi.

Daisuke was completely and(mostly)irreversibly blind. Being part of the Hyuuga clan didn't help much but when he activated his clan's kekkai genkai, it was discovered that he was so proficient in it that it was unrivaled. Even Neji had a hard time beating Daisuke when he had his Byakugan switched on.

I skidded to a stop in front of the classroom and burst into it. If I had a voice, I'd be yelling at the top of my lungs. As it was, I was jumping up and down excitedly. A few of the other students glanced irritably at me but I didn't care. I searched for the familiar brunet head and grinned when I found it.

Daisuke good-naturedly accepted the glomp I forced upon him, his low voice chuckling. I nuzzled his shoulder briefly before grabbing his hand and signing to him.

**_'Dai-kun, I did it!'_** Daisuke smiled.

"Congratulations Yu-chan. I knew you could. You're very proficient with chakra." I flushed at his compliment and hurriedly signed.

**_'Hehe, well, you know it's only thanks to you that I realized my potential.'_** And it was. Without Daisuke's guidance(and dojutsu), I would've never realized what I had been doing wrong in regards to my chakra.

"Nonsense Yu-chan." Daisuke puffed up, however, a conservative tugging on his lips. Since he was raised by the Hyuuga in this lifetime, his personality had dimmed somewhat(based on all his stories of his past life)but Daisuke was more...well, _human_ compared to anyone who wasn't Hinata.

**_'Accept the praise you deserve Dai-kun,'_ **I signed, squeezing his hand to enforce my point. Daisuke sighed and I mirrored him, though not a single sound escaped my throat.

"Alright, alright. Maybe I am pretty awesome." I giggled, pressing his hands to my throat so he could feel the very, very slight vibrations that bounced off the walls of my esophagus. "Are you laughing at me?"

**_'No. I'd never.'_ **I tried to portray innocence but it was hard when you couldn't talk and your friend couldn't see.

"Hmm, I don't quite believe you but that's fine." I laid my head on his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his waist. Honestly, I'd gotten over the whole PDA thing. If someone had a problem with our friendship, they could take a number and get their ass kicked.

Daisuke laughed jovially, smoothing down my hair as if he saw how unruly it was. I let him comb my hair with his fingers, untangling the nasty snarls. I caught his other hand, toying with his fingers absently.

_**'I should get my hair cut, right?'**_ I asked. Daisuke hummed thoughtfully and I felt a flare of jealousy spike in my chest. I smothered it completely before it could consume me.

"If you feel it's an inconvenience to you, sure. The only reason my hair hasn't been cut is because of clan tradition." I snorted, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrow.

**_'Since you're blind I should tell you that I'm rolling my eyes.'_** Daisuke let out a snort of laughter, his fingers twisting slightly in my curls.

"Thank you for that," Daisuke softened slightly, "Should we go see how Ken is doing?"

Ken was another kid like us. He had been reborn into Naruto(and thank god he'd been a fellow Narutard; Daisuke was cool and all, but he hadn't been much of an anime fan before he died)and had a physical impairment. Ken couldn't hear. Like me, he often used sign language to communicate, mostly because he was embarrassed by his voice. I thought it was nice, a little rough from little to no use, but nice. Daisuke often did the talking for us anyway. I usually just glared and Ken had a range of expressions for his lips that spoke volumes.

_**'Yes! I'm sure he passed.**_' Really, unless you were a complete dolt, you'd pass the graduation exam. In retrospect, the exam was fairly easy. During war times it was probably even more lax, as the village would want to push out child soldiers to be cannon fodder.

"Then let's go see." I clutched Daisuke's hand and dragged him toward Ken's classroom. After you took the test, the teachers didn't care if you stayed or went home. You just needed to be back by three to attend the graduation ceremony. It was already noon and the testing had been going on all morning. A lot of people tended to forget that there were more than one class in any year. There was at least two or three more classes that were the same age as us.

I darted past students chatting in the hallway, Daisuke managing to skillfully follow my lead. I chanced a glance backward and felt my lips curve into an amused smile. Daisuke was pretty badass when he wanted to be but for normal things like walking to another class, he was completely hopeless. Then again, he was blind. It was hard not to forget when he glared at you.

I slipped into the mostly empty classroom, my eyes spotting a head of familiar dark hair. Grinning, I dragged Daisuke over and tapped the boy's shoulders. He turned, a scowl on his face that smoothed out into a smile once he saw who it was.

**_'Ken!'_** I signed, enveloping him in a hug. Ken pressed his lips to my neck and nodded toward Daisuke.

_**'Hey Yuri-chan. Did you pass?**_' I rolled my eyes and nodded briskly.

**_'Of course I did. Dai-kun helped so much with chakra control. I was able to make three successful clones!'_** Ken grabbed my hands and shook them excitedly.

**_'That's awesome!'_ **He grabbed Daisuke's hand and signed to him. _**'I'm assuming you passed as well?'** _Daisuke nodded and smiled.

"I did. You passed?" Ken signed his affirmation. Ken may not have been able to hear but he could read lips, which made it a whole lot easier for Daisuke. The Hyuuga genius pursed his lips in thought.

"I guess this means we're at the start of the race." I shared a look with Ken, who nodded silently. Finally, we could do something with ourselves. All this waiting around had made us jittery and nervous, but finally, _finally_, we were just beginning.

Now it was up to Lady Luck to decide our fate(by the way, I've met her before, and she is one sassy lady).

...

..

.

With my nerves all bundled up, I slowly made my way toward the Academy. Today would be the day I was assigned my team. Part of me wanted to be with both Daisuke and Ken because let's face it, we only worked good together as the three crippled shinobi. The other part, the desperate, do-gooder part, wanted to be on Team Seven. I was conflicted, which made my mood that much worse.

Daisuke sat in the seat directly behind the main characters, and that's where I found him when I eventually made it to the classroom. I spotted Ken beside him and carefully slipped past and plopped down in the middle chair. Daisuke's fingers found mine, as did Ken's. I took a deep breath and suddenly, I wasn't so nervous anymore. Ken offered a smile.

**_'It'll be alright Yuri-chan. You've got to believe.'_** It was cheesy and too much of a cliché but it made me want to laugh.

"Yu-chan, we're right here if you need us," Daisuke murmured lowly. My shoulders relaxed and I pulled the two into a hug, not caring if Sasuke had turned and was glaring at us. Ugh, he was way worse than canon, considering he thought of Daisuke as a better rival than Naruto. Daisuke had more to offer I suppose, being a Hyuuga and a prodigy. He was a higher hurdle to jump(no offense to Naruto of course).

Sasuke sneered and turned back to the board. I stuck my tongue out at his back and Ken laughed. Daisuke and I stared and joined him. It was easy to forget that you were mute when someone amused you enough.

Soon, people started clambering into the classroom. I mainly kept myself amused by playing with Daisuke's hair. Ken's was too short and mine was too ragged. Before too long, Iruka was attempting to settle the class down. I mostly tuned out his speech about us being adults now.

He began rattling off team assignments and I focused a little more. I wanted to be paying attention when I heard who I was going to spend most of my Genin training with.

"Team Six will consist of Haruno Sakura, Sato Ken, and Uzumaki Naruto." I gave Ken a wide eyed glance and even Daisuke turned to stare at him. We were shell shocked, to put it lightly. The next assignment, however, was even more surprising.

"Team Seven will be Hyuuga Daisuke, Fujioka Yuri, and Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

So the traditional Team Seven is being split. Who knows how this will affect the plot, considering Sasuke's whole drama is a major component of the start of Shippuuden? Only time will tell. Oh, by the way, I seem to keep forgetting that not all my characters have all five senses so whenever Yuri mentions it, just know that that is a jab at myself. The way they interact with each other is really nothing I ever imagined. It just wrote itself I guess. But it's going to become apparent very soon that in being so close to each other, they sort of alienated other people. Not everyone knows sign language as shown by Yuri's notebook. Ken has a similar one that he rarely, if ever, uses because he doesn't bother getting to know others when he knows he has Yuri and Daisuke. Daisuke is the same way. Regarding him, I had to make him good enough that Sasuke wouldn't immediately disregard him as a potential rival to measure himself against. Being blind with a kekkai genkai like the Byakugan means you _have _to adapt and strengthen yourself so that no one will look down on you or pity you. Daisuke is much like Sasuke in that he hates it when others pity him because he happens to be a blind Hyuuga. Also, Neji _is_ better than Daisuke, don't let Yuri fool you. Neji just has a hard time _beating_ him in a spar. Neji is a year older and has a stronger resolve than Daisuke(as far as he knows).

**Disclaimer(in case I forgot): I don't Naruto or any of its characters. I only own any OCs that may appear.**


	3. Chapter 3

So here's the next chapter! Hope ya like it!

'_**this is sign language'**_

_'this is thoughts and emphasis'_

**'this is writing**

* * *

Sasuke turned and glared at us(mostly at Daisuke, I wasn't even sure he knew who I was), his eyes sizing us up. Calmly, Daisuke met his gaze. It was _extremely_ hard to forget that he was blind when he stared right back at you. Then again, Daisuke had had a lot of practice with it, as there was always someone who'd been staring. I guess some people figured they could be rude and stare all they wanted as long as the subject was blind.

Sasuke barely concealed his flinch. I felt a tiny bit of pity but squashed it harshly beneath my heel. Sasuke hated pity more than anything I'm sure. I squeezed Daisuke's hand and he turned his head to smile brightly at me, his teeth pointedly showing. I shivered at the threat and subtly nodded my head. Ken roughly pinched Daisuke's arm and the Hyuuga boy relaxed. I grinned nervously at Ken and took his hand.

**_'You're on Naruto's and Sakura's team. Will you be alright?'_** I asked, furrowing my brow. Ken rolled his eyes and huffed quietly, but nodded.

**_'Well there goes the plot,'_** he said, silently laughing. I giggled, nodding.

_**'How much you wanna bet that Daisuke and I will get Kakashi?'** _Ken pursed his lips thoughtfully.

_**'You do realize he probably will be your sensei, right? You have the last Uchiha and a blind Hyuuga prodigy for teammates,'**_ he said seriously.

_**'Oh shit. I'm the odd one, aren't I?'**_ I wasn't a prodigy to speak of, nor was I a slacker. My grades were on the higher end of the middle of the spectrum but only because I obsessively trained to catch up to Daisuke and Ken. Those two were miles ahead of me. It was depressing to think about, so I tried not to dwell on it often. But having Ken point out that I wasn't as good as my two teammates was a low blow. I deflated and Daisuke put an arm around my shoulder, a scowl on his face.

"Ken, what did you say?" he whispered angrily under his breath. Funny thing about all of us; we knew when the other two were experiencing negative feelings. It was almost like we were psychically linked(or we just knew each other so well that it didn't matter that I couldn't talk or that Ken couldn't hear or that Daisuke was blind).

_**'I'm sorry Yuri-chan,'**_ he signed and I felt a tad better. Daisuke relaxed subtly, as if he had seen the action. Seriously, really hard to forget he was blind. I had to remind myself every few minutes!

Iruka dismissed us for lunch and then we'd have to report back and meet with our sensei. Ken, Daisuke, and I didn't bother trying to invite our teammates for lunch anywhere. Sasuke was sure to say no and Naruto would be too caught up with asking Sakura that he wouldn't care less about Ken's invitation. We all decided to go to my house for lunch. My dad was a great cook after all.

"Yuri-chan, Daisuke-kun, Ken-kun, welcome!" he greeted happily. Dad hardly bat an eyelash at my choice in friends and I would be forever grateful. No one could understand what it was like for us but each other. We were a country and everyone else was outside it.

**'Hi Tou-san!'** I wrote on my notepad, nearly forgotten in the scheme of things. He grinned and swept us into a hug. Daisuke was probably holding back the urge to squirm at the physical display of affection from someone who wasn't one of us. My dad let us go and grinned mischievously.

"So I'm guessing you three are teammates?" I frowned and wrote quickly.

**'Only Daisuke-kun and I are, Tou-san. Ken-kun was put on another team regretfully.'** He frowned then perked back up.

"Oh well, I guess that's the luck of the draw. How about some lunch?" Daisuke and I nodded and Ken squinted before nodding. My dad had a bad habit of talking fast and if he wasn't paying attention, he easily forgot to slow down. I dragged Daisuke to the kitchen and sat him down. He nodded his head in thanks.

Lunch was quick but delicious. We all chatted absently with each other but there was an underlying tension that no one but the three of us could sense. How would this arrangement even work exactly? Naruto and Sakura didn't know who Ken was, so they wouldn't know about his being deaf. Not to mention Sasuke was an insufferable prick right about now and Naruto was the one who'd reached out to him. Daisuke and I couldn't exactly replace Naruto, now could we? And Ken couldn't replace Sasuke either.

In the end, we went back to the Academy to wait for our sensei. Ken didn't stray far from us and Sasuke begrudgingly sat next to us(it was either that or next to a horde of fangirls, so obviously he chose the lone mute girl and her blind and deaf friends). I offered him a tired smile and he simply huffed and stared out the window. With little else to do, I sang.

I've always loved to sing. No matter how my voice sounded, no matter if I was male or female. Singing was the one thing that never failed to make my soul float. So you could imagine how devastated I was to find out that I couldn't sing. I could bear being mute but not being able to sing? That nearly crushed my soul more than any physical pain could. It wasn't easy to move past it, I still had phantom bouts of anger and sadness, but having Daisuke and Ken helped because they understood so well.

'Even if we have to distort the world, we want to reach the future called today, because we probably won't be able to find it alone. I knew I would lose you one day, so I never ever took you for granted. But the black-and-white monochrome destiny. Hey, repainted you over too soon,' I mouthed, hearing the music clearly in my head as if I had headphones in. Ken noticed my head bobbing and gave me an understanding look. After all, he loved music as much as I did.

Ken told us he used to be a composer. I'd been astonished to find out that I had, in fact, listened to some of the music he'd created. Predictably, we had a total nerd fest while Daisuke had been confused. He wasn't much of a musician and probably never would be. Ken and I, on the other hand, had music ingrained into our very souls. There was something about it that just made us feel whole again.

You could probably understand how badly Ken had been affected by his loss of hearing. Writing and making music was his life, it would always be, and to suddenly have that taken away from him was cruel beyond words. I didn't know why we were thrown into this particular universe and I didn't know why the dearest things were taken from us, but I did know that there _was_ a reason. There always is. Whoever that entity was, he/she/they must've had a good reason for all this.

...

...

..

.

Daisuke, Sasuke, and I were the last team to be picked up. As Ken had predicted, it was Kakashi. But really, when you have the last Uchiha on your team, you're going to get Kakashi. That was a universal constant. I was practically asleep, leaning on Daisuke and using him as a pillow. My eyes were heavier than normal and I could feel my heart beating slowly in my chest.

Kakashi waltzed in nonchalantly, acting as if he wasn't four hours late. It was pretty maddening to be honest.

"Ah, let's see, you must be my cute little Genin team. How about we go chat on the roof?" There was a puff of smoke as the clone dissipated. Sighing, I stood and grabbed Daisuke's hand. He allowed me to drag him along and Sasuke followed us with an absence of thought.

Kakashi was reading his dirty novel when I pushed open the somewhat heavy metal doors of the school roof. I puffed out my cheeks and gave him a disapproving look. He shrugged and put the book away with a sigh.

"Alright so I guess introductions are in order. Right, well, why don't you go first?" I took out my notebook and hurriedly scribbled on it. Kakashi studied every movement my fingers made.

**'Why don't you go first sensei? So I'll have an idea of what to say.'** If he was surprised by my use of paper to talk, he didn't show it.

"Mmmm ok. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I don't really feel like talking to you about my hobbies and goals and whatnot. My dream is a little personal so I'd rather not say what it is. Now, Yuri-chan was it? Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself." I rolled my eyes but nodded. I thought for half a minute then furiously wrote down what I wanted to say. I passed the notebook to Sasuke, who scanned it briefly before tossing it to Kakashi. Our Jounin instructor chuckled quietly then threw my notebook back at me.

"Alright then, how about you, little Hyuuga-kun?" Daisuke snorted, unamused.

"My name is Hyuuga Daisuke. I like sparring and taking long walks. I dislike those who would bring harm to my precious people and those who do not understand the effect they have on others. My hobbies are training and looking after my younger cousins. My dream is to protect my comrades and my friends from whatever they may face." Sasuke gave him a disgusted look, which prompted me to stick my tongue out.

"Alright, last but not least," Kakashi said, waving for Sasuke to say his spiel.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't particularly like anything and I dislike many things. I do not have a dream but an ambition. I'm going to kill a certain someone and revive my clan." The tension was thick in the air. I grabbed Daisuke's hand and slowly spoke.

**_'Wow, he's a real ball of sunshine, isn't he?'_** Daisuke held back a guffaw, clearing his throat to cover it up. Kakashi eyed us and we sat straighter, serious looks on our faces.

"Well now that that's over I need to inform you of our mission tomorrow. We're going to be running a survival exercise that has a fail rate of 66%. Be there at 6 AM sharp. Oh, and you might not want to eat breakfast, or you'll throw up." With a well timed puff of smoke, Kakashi shunshined away. I stood and glanced at Sasuke, twiddling my thumbs before coming to a decision. I quickly wrote out my request and shyly shoved it toward him.

'**Sasuke-san, I believe it would be best if we analyzed our team's strengths and weaknesses. Would you like to accompany Daisuke-kun and I to a small restaurant?'** Sasuke read it carefully and glanced up under his bangs, an almost thoughtful look on his face.

"Hn," he murmured. I rolled my eyes.

**'I have no idea what that means, baaaakaaaa,'** I responded. Sasuke sighed in frustration.

"No. I have more important things to do." With that, he walked away before I could retort. I sighed and sat, grabbing Daisuke's hand.

Well, it could've been worse, I mused.

* * *

And that's it. Not a lot happened this chapter but next chapter is survival training. That's going to be _super_ fun. We learned a bit more about who Yuri and Ken were before they were reborn. We also got to see Yuri's thoughts on their purpose in the Narutoverse. Oh, the song she was mouthing is called _monochrome_ by Dancing Dolls. It's the first opening to Soul Eater Not and it is super cute.

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. I do not own any Naruto characters or any songs that may appear. **


	4. Chapter 4

Next chapter here we go! I rushed to get it done so it's probably not up to par. I've decided to try to update every Thursday and Sunday.

'_**this is sign language'**_

_'this is thoughts and emphasis'_

**'this is writing'**

* * *

Predictably, Kakashi was late.

I leaned against the base of the tree, tapping my fingers idly on the bark. I'd figured out earlier that it was easier talking to Sasuke if I tapped out a message using the convoluted code taught to us in the Academy. I knew Konoha had several 'official' versions of it to confuse any enemy smart enough to figure it out(which, let's face it, would have to be on the level of a Nara).

**_'Oh my kami, when will he get here?'_** I tapped out, scrunching my face in irritation. A few hours ago, Daisuke would've been laughing at me. Now, he was just as irritated, if not more. After all, he was stuck waiting with Sasuke for a teacher that was already four hours late.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted jovially. I turned to him with a glare.

**_'What took you so long sensei?!'_** I asked, making sure to hit the bark as hard as I could without breaking it.

"Ehehe, I met an old lady shopping and I couldn't allow her to carry such a heavy load," he said. I huffed, crossing my arms. It was a noble gesture I suppose.

If it were true.

"Like we're supposed to believe that, Kakashi-sensei," Daisuke said coldly. Even I shivered, and I wasn't the source of Daisuke's ire.

"Ma, I'm here now to give you your final test." Sasuke lifted an eyebrow and I shifted to sit a little straighter, my hair brushing my shoulder. Kakashi's eye glinted dangerously.

"Final test? What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, scowling.

"Oh it's just a test to see if you're really Genin material. Last week's graduation exam was for weeding out the ones who could possibly make Genin," he explained. I pursed my lips, my hand finding Daisuke's. He squeezed it gently.

"What would you have us do sensei?" Daisuke asked, licking his lips. Kakashi's mouth tilted, a possible smirk on his face. His mask was obscuring his face after all.

"We're going to do a little exercise with these," he said, holding up two bells. Ah, the bell test. For Daisuke's sake, he jiggled them, a tinkling sound permeating the air. I knew we weren't going to get one, we were Genin and he was a Jounin, but something welled up in my chest. It was _determination._ Fate had dealt me this hand and I was going to take it, whether it was a good hand or not.

_**'Bells?'**_ I asked, tilting my head. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes. I want you to take these bells from me before the timer goes off at noon. Whoever doesn't get a bell will lose out on lunch and get sent back to the Academy." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at our teacher, an ugly sneer forming on his face.

"There are only two bells and three of us," Sasuke retorted, crossing his arms. I was inclined to do the same thing.

"Aren't you the observant one? Yes, there are only two bells. Whoever doesn't get a bell will get sent back to the Academy. Or no one could get a bell and you'll all get sent back. I'd prefer the latter." I gave him an unimpressed look. Sasuke clenched his hands into fists and I absently reached over and patted his hand. I wasn't even thinking about it to be honest.

"Shall we get started?" Daisuke asked, voice smooth and cold. I saw a dangerous smile light up his face and shivered. Sasuke watched the Hyuuga boy with unreadable eyes.

"You have two hours before lunch. Make them count." That was all the warning we had before he reached into his jacket and pulled out a timer. I tensed, as did Daisuke and Sasuke. Kakashi carefully set the timer and placed it on the stump, turning to us with bored eyes.

But I knew better. He was studying us, analyzing us as a team. I narrowed my eyes and challenged him silently, daring him to underestimate our teamwork. Sure, Sasuke wouldn't like it, but if I tried hard enough and appealed to his ego, maybe we could become a ragtag team of sorts.

Or Daisuke could just punch him. That would work just as well.

"Go," Kakashi said softly, and I felt myself leaping backwards. Daisuke stayed where he was, while Sasuke followed my lead. He probably wanted to study Kakashi just as the Jounin had studied us.

"So first up is the Hyuuga huh? I would've pegged the Uchiha as the first attacker...," Kakashi trailed off, seemingly oblivious to Daisuke's glare. I noticed bulging veins trailing his eyes and I winced. Daisuke was lethal once he activated his Byakugan, Jounin or not.

"You mean _that_ trash? He's not confident enough to go after you so soon sensei," Daisuke remarked coldly. Daisuke wasn't exactly a fan of Sasuke but to go so far as to call him trash was just plain cruel. I grit my teeth, anger and annoyance radiating off me in waves. Kakashi could probably smell my emotions, giant fluffy dog that he is.

"You think he's trash, huh? Reminds me of someone I used to know...," Kakashi said wistfully. Sighing, he continued. "I guess I won't be able to read my book if I fight you first. Ma, I can always read when I have to go after the little girl." The anger that had been directed at Daisuke switched to Kakashi. I wasn't a little girl! I may have the _body_ of one, but I was_ centuries_ old! If anything, _he_ was the brat!

Huffing, I directed my gaze toward where I thought Sasuke was hiding. The Uchiha was a sneaky bastard and hadn't been second in our class for nothing. Still, there was always someone better. That someone wasn't me though, so I wasn't too sure if it was him I was really sensing.

A yell brought my attention back to Daisuke. I had missed the fight, but somehow, he was on the ground, covered in sweat and shaking. My eyes widened and before I knew what I was doing, I stood in front of my friend, body eased into a stance. It wasn't a typical Academy taijutsu stance but the traditional Hyuuga taijustu stance. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, the calvary has arrived," he said, hand reaching behind him. I tensed, even though there was a 50% chance that he was simply getting his Icha Icha book.

He was. I made a face and tapped the ground with my shoe. Kakashi shrugged, not bothered by my comment. What a pervert.

Daisuke didn't move a muscle as I rushed Kakashi. The Jounin glanced into my eyes with an almost bored look. I knew my efforts were fruitless but he had beaten Daisuke, and that was not something I could forgive. For a brief second, I wondered what Kakashi was thinking. I knew he hadn't particularly liked Team Seven until they defied him, but this Team Seven was radically different.

I shook those thoughts off, my ponytail flying. I still hadn't had it cut yet. I was waiting for some extra money from missions to cut it. Sure, cutting your hair with a kunai seems _edgy_ and _symbolic_ but in reality, it was a pretty dumb thing to do unless you were seriously under pressure or knew how to hair. I hadn't had either happen to me yet, so I hadn't bothered.

Kakashi tried to take full advantage of that but I ducked under his reach and grabbed his arm, snaking it around his back and attempting to pin him. He easily slipped out of my hold, chuckling. He put away his book and I felt a well of pride in my chest. I had forced Kakashi to take me _seriously_. That was _much_ more impressive than what had happened to Naruto the first time.

"Don't you think we should end this Yuri-chan?" Kakashi drawled, his hands forming seals. I leapt backward, quickly replacing myself with Kawarimi. Kakashi unleashed a genjutsu on the log cloaked to look like me, muttering, "Lesson two: Genjutsu."

A puff of smoke was all that greeted him. He nodded to himself, then shunshined away. I stiffened, watching for any sign that he was coming for me again. Once I felt that it was safe, I rushed back to Daisuke. He was fine for the most part but I think his arm had been bruised, or worse, fractured.

**_'Daisuke-kun, what was that? We need Sasuke's help if we want to have the slim chance of getting a bell!'_** I admonished with a frown. Daisuke huffed, turning his head snobbishly.

"We don't need Sasuke. All he does is look down on others for being weak when he is the weakest of us all." I sighed in frustration.

**_'That doesn't mean that we can't work together! Jesus, don't you understand the point of this exercise?'_** I could clearly remember telling Daisuke what we had to do if we wanted to pass Kakashi's test. He should know how important teamwork is. Was he going to throw that away because he didn't like Sasuke?

"I do. Do you?" Angrily, I restrained myself from slapping him. Daisuke recoiled as if I had.

**_'This whole test is about teamwork. Clearly I'm the only who wants to pass. And if only I pass, there won't be a team, so this whole exercise would be pointless. Please, I know you don't like Sasuke. That's fine. I'm not asking you to like him. I'm asking you to fight by his side, _**my**_ side.'_ **Daisuke was silent before he stood, giving me a single, tensed nod. The tension in my shoulders drained and I smiled brightly, making sure my teeth caught the sunlight.

Finally, we were two-thirds of the way to becoming a team. Now we just needed to convince Mr. Sunshine and we were all set.

...

..

.

Daisuke found Sasuke in the ground. I winced at that. If Daisuke was taijutsu and I was genjutsu, then Sasuke was ninjutsu.

**_'Wait one moment Sasuke-san,'_** I said, forcing chakra to my hands. I allowed it to settle into the dirt, and, very carefully, peeled it back. Don't ask me how I was doing it. I just was. I was probably Earth-natured and that instinct allowed me to bend the earth with no training whatsoever(_or_ I was attempting to copy Avatar: The Last Airbender).

Once that was finished, I extended my hand to Sasuke, who begrudgingly took it. I gave him a hesitant smile and clamped my hand around his upper arm to keep him from darting off.

"Sasuke, it has come to my attention that we cannot get a bell by ourselves," Daisuke began with a bored tone. "I am proposing that we work together to filch them from our sensei." I gave Sasuke my best puppy-eyed look, making sure to widen my eyes and force my lips into a pout. Sasuke looked away, uncomfortable. He turned his attention to Daisuke and sneered.

"I'm on a different level than you two. I touched the bell." Sasuke's tone was utterly smug. Daisuke rolled his eyes and held out his hand.

"I had it in my grasp." Sasuke's eyes widened before narrowing. "We have to work together, as a team, if we want to a bell. Don't worry, you'll get one. I guarantee it." I gave Daisuke a glare and released Sasuke now that I knew he wasn't going to run.

_**'And what about you? Do you think I'll allow you to give me a bell?'**_ I said angrily. Or as angrily as you can tap something out, which wasn't actually that hard. Daisuke sighed.

"We'll discuss this later. We have an hour before the timer runs out." I straightened up, dispelling my anger for my pressing concerns.

We had a Jounin to take down after all.

* * *

Kakashi carefully read the text, absorbing the scene vividly. He was seemingly oblivious to the Genin hiding in the brush as he turned the page. He hadn't bothered to spy on them, it would've been too much of a hassle. This team didn't have the right dynamics to function correctly.

First, there was the Uchiha. That boy was too absorbed with himself and his own talents. He didn't pay any attention to either of his teammates(well, maybe the Hyuuga. After all, he was good rival material)and was stubborn beyond reason. Kakashi highly doubted that the other two would convince him to team up.

Next was the Hyuuga. While Sasuke had been self-absorbed, the Hyuuga was far more concerned with their third member. He stuck to her like glue, and she reciprocated that sentiment. He could understand the appeal. Like gravitated toward like after all.

Fujioka was probably the biggest anomaly in his entire career. She cared deeply for the Hyuuga, that much anyone with eyes could see. But she had also opened up to Sasuke. She was willing to allow him into their country, into their sacred territory. He would've expected Fujioka and Hyuuga to close themselves but instead, Fujioka was making a conscious effort to _include_ Sasuke(based on the limited interactions he had observed).

If anyone was pulling the team together, it was Fujioka. Maybe, _just maybe_, with her guidance, they would see through his deception.

Kakashi sensed the attack long before it closed in on him. Still, he had to give the kunoichi props. She was proficient with taijutsu, as if she was a Hyuuga. Daisuke had probably beaten the same techniques into her. Fujioka was relentless in her attacks. Kakashi didn't immediately sense the minuscule amounts of chakra she wove into her strikes but before long, he had noticed his reflexes weren't as fast.

He didn't allow her to hit him again.

Daisuke jumped in the second Fujioka's attacks ceased hitting, helping her and cornering him. Kakashi was so preoccupied with the two future taijutsu specialists that he failed to notice the third member of the team. He only realized what had happened once the other two stopped and jumped back, satisfied grins on their faces. Kakashi turned and swiped the two bells back from Sasuke, who blinked at the action.

"Well, it seems my cute little Genin _did_ understand this little exercise after all." Sasuke and Daisuke shifted, both of them turning towards their third member. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at their action.

"Actually sensei, Sasuke and I were not fully aware of...the purpose of this task," Daisuke said, head bowed low. Kakashi turned his single eye on Sasuke.

"Sasuke? Anything to add?" Sasuke shook his head. "I see. If you didn't truly understand the task, then I might as well send you back to the Academy."

Yuri took a step forward, her eyes pleading. She tapped a message on her leg.

**_'Kakashi-sensei, please don't send us back! Sasuke-san and Daisuke-kun worked hard to overcome their differences and work as a team. That was the whole point, right? If we couldn't work as a team they we wouldn't make it as shinobi.'_ **Kakashi pointed to Yuri, a smile under his mask.

"Someone give that girl a prize. It may be true that those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash. Teamwork is _essential_ to this team. There's going to be a day where your lives will be put in danger and you need to trust that your team will keep you safe, just as you will keep them safe." Kakashi's stare turned dangerous and cold.

"Are you two willing to protect each other? Are you willing to protect Yuri-chan over there as well? If you're not, then I really _will_ send you back to the Academy."

Kakashi was mildly surprised when Sasuke stepped forward with determined eyes.

"I swear I'll protect these two. If it means I can become stronger, I'll do anything." Kakashi was a little concerned with the boy's reasoning but shrugged it off for now. He'd learn that revenge wasn't as clean cut as he'd want it to be.

"What about you two? Will you protect each other and Sasuke-kun?"

"I will," Daisuke mumbled. Yuri nodded, eyes shining. With a smile, Kakashi held up the bells.

"Then Team Seven has officially passed! Meet here tomorrow at 0700. We have a mission."

* * *

Survival exercise down. I tried to keep Sasuke in character as much as I could but he isn't dealing with Naruto so his attitude would be slightly different. Not to mention Daisuke presents a real threat and challenge to him, unlike how he thought of Naruto at first. He really didn't acknowledge Naruto at first and he definitely wouldn't have worked together after getting grounded. With Yuri and Daisuke, he realizes that he _has _to rely on them if he wants the bells. Although they got the bells, Daisuke realizes that they didn't really understand the whole point of the exercise, even though Yuri told him. He really dislikes Sasuke and the feeling is definitely mutual. Yuri is going to have her work cut out for her.  
I decided earlier this morning that each of the reincarnated gang would specialize in two areas of the three main jutsu. Daisuke is of course taijutsu and ninjutsu. Yuri excels at taijutsu and genjutsu and Ken excels in ninjutsu and genjutsu. It keeps the three balanced and they can cover their weaknesses, even though they aren't on the same team.

So that's it. I'll be working on the next chapter and hopefully have it out by Thursday. Don't forget to review! I wanna know how I'm doing and all that jazz.


	5. Chapter 5

Well, next chapter is out! I haven't written the next chapter for AIR:AKR yet but I'll get to it. Ah, I'm glad people are reading this little old thing even if they aren't reviewing. It's been fun trying to mold canon characters and adapt them to the three impaired shinobi. This episode, we have the C-rank assignment that everybody loves! That's right folks, it's Tazuna time!

'_**this is sign language'**_

_'this is thoughts and emphasis'_

**'this is writing**

* * *

_"Confirm location to target,"_ Kakashi's voice crackled in my ear. I tapped my earpiece once, catching Sasuke's eye. He nodded.

"Yuri and I are in position," he whispered into his headset.

_"I am also in location, sensei. Permission to proceed?_"

_"Permission granted. Pursue and capture target."_ I rolled my eyes at the theatrics. We were only capturing Tora.

The cat in question was pretty damn fast. I leapt through trees at a breakneck pace, pumping chakra into my legs to accelerate the motion. Sasuke was even faster, and yet we were still slower than Tora. I didn't even know that was _possible_. Then again, that cat had dealt with shinobi coming after it for a long time. She probably knew a few tricks.

It was Daisuke who managed to corner her. He flipped off a tree and landed gracefully in front of the cat, scooping her up while Sasuke and I acted as decoys. While we distracted her, he was able to catch and secure her, all according to plan.

Daisuke calmed the cat down fairly quick and by the time we reached the Hokage Tower, Tora was purring up a storm. Of course, once the Daiymo's wife had retrieved her, she was yowling and struggling to get free. I winced in sympathy. That poor cat had a _very_ good reason to go renegade every other day.

"Well I see you've captured Tora. Excellent job Team Seven. Now let's see if I have any other missions for you," the Hokage said, shuffling through scrolls.

At that moment, Team Six strolled in, though protocol stated that each team had to wait for their assignment. Naruto led the charge, followed by a scowling Ken and an irritated Sakura. Behind them was a woman I had never seen before.

She was around Kakashi's age with bright, orange-red hair. Her eyes were green, like mine, but they far outshone my own. The woman was rather short in stature and wore an outfit similar to Kurenai's. The only difference was that she had more bandages wrapped around her legs and arms. I studied her carefully, assessing her as a kunoichi.

She didn't _seem_ very impressive. The woman was clutching her hands nervously and I could see sweat beading down her face and hands. Her face was screwed into a look of panic.

"Naruto-kun, you mustn't! Please come back and wait outside in the hallway!" she pleaded. Naruto didn't seem to hear her, which was absolute bullshit. He had the best pair of ears after Kiba and Akamaru. He was blatantly ignoring her protests.

"Jiji, I want a better mission! Helping out some old lady plant is nice and all but there's no action ttebayo! Give us something better ttebayo!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist on the Hokage's desk. I took a step back, toward Daisuke. Ken shook his head and drifted over to us, a tired smile lighting up his face.

_**'Your haircut looks good Yuri-chan,'** _he said, grabbing my hand and squeezing gently. I flushed, tucking a lone bang behind my ear.

"It's nice to finally see you Ken. Well, I can't see you but Yu-chan can," Daisuke said, a smile on his face. It was a nice change of pace. Ever since we were put onto a team with Sasuke, Daisuke hadn't been smiling as much. I blamed their stubborn natures.

**_'Haha, good one Daisuke,'_** Ken signed. His face was also stretched into a grin and I knew that he too had his fair share of troubles on Team Naruto. It was to be expected. He _was_ on a team with Naruto and Sakura.

**_'So who is your sensei?'_** I asked, keeping my face neutral. Ken sighed and rolled his eyes.

**_'Her name is Inoue Akiko and she's like us. Only she opted to have her memory cleared instead of keeping it so she doesn't know that this is a fictional world,'_** Ken explained. He seemed very exasperated with her. **_'Oh yeah, she may look meek and clumsy but she is a terror when you piss her off. Naruto's lucky her candle isn't short today, otherwise he would be in the emergency room. No freaky-healing abilities would save him then.'_**

I laughed silently and Ken chuckled with me. He hurriedly explained it to Daisuke, who covered his own laughter with a snort. Beside us, Sasuke looked vaguely disturbed. On one side was our weirdness and on the other was Haruno Sakura, number one Sasuke fangirl. I felt a little bad for him and tugged his arm, inviting him into our circle. Daisuke glared and Ken eyed him warily before shrugging it off and moving to distract Daisuke. Ken and Daisuke chatted about weapons before our attention was forced back to the Hokage. The old man lit his pipe and leaned back, a small, knowing smile on his face.

"Well why don't we have Team Six and Team Seven perform a joint mission? It would be a good exercise for them," he said, glancing at Daisuke, Ken and I. We all shifted, uncomfortable. To be honest, none of us had had _any_ experience in dealing with the Hokage. We weren't the village jinchuriki nor were we kin. To us, he was our military leader. And our perceptions were already warped. Ken and I knew that the grandfatherly act was just a show. Daisuke should know, since we told him, but if he took it to heart, we didn't know.

"I believe that's an excellent idea, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said with false cheer in his voice. I should know, I've been training with the guy for at least a month or two. Personally, I didn't care if we did a joint mission.

"Here we are. Since Naruto is so demanding of a '_better'_ mission, I'll assign Team Six and Team Seven to this C-rank," the Hokage said, taking a puff of his pipe. Ken and I exchanged wary glances.

"Yahoo! Ooooh, I bet we'll get something awesome, ttebayo! Maybe we'll be escorting a princess or a daimyo!" Naruto cheered. Sakura huffed and crossed her arms.

"Naruto, what makes you think we'll get an important job like that?" she asked, tone half curious, half reprimanding. I winced, waiting for the inevitable hitting. Really, Sakura shouldn't be hitting Naruto at all. He got enough abuse as it was. Don't add _"getting slapped by crush daily"_ to that list.

"You eight will be escorting a bridge builder home safely. Since we normally don't assign more than one team to a task such as this, I am willing to pay you all from my own wealth," he said. The C-rank probably hadn't cost that much more than a D-rank, so I could see the logic.

"A bridge builder?! Aw man." Sasuke placed his palm on his head in exasperation. I patted his arm soothingly, giving him an understanding look. He rolled his eyes at Naruto's antics but didn't push my hand off.

"Tazuna-san, if you'd come in here please," the Hokage said, his voice no louder than a yell. We all heard the man in question stand and stumble forward into the room. He looked exactly as I had remembered him, which wasn't an impressive sight. Everyone else seemed to agree, though Akiko and Kakashi ignored his looks.

"What's with all the brats?" he slurred, taking another sip of his sake. Hmmm, wasn't that considered rude to drink in front of the Hokage? At least _I_ thought so.

"Tazuna-san, I'm offering a special training exercise through your mission. Do you mind?" The man shook his head but I could see a trickle of relief in his eyes. No doubt the two Jounin and Hokage saw it.

"S'long as I get home safely and don't have to pay extra, I don't care. But are these brats really formidable shinobi? Especially the short stupid one." Naruto probably would've started laughing but he stopped and compared heights. Even though I was pretty short, Naruto was still shorter.

"Let me at him!" he screamed, trying to rush the client. Surprisingly, it was Kakashi who held him back. Naruto pouted and crossed his arms, glaring at Tazuna. Ken and I sweat dropped while Sasuke scowled.

"Noisy dobe," he mumbled. Naruto's ears perked and he turned his glare toward Sasuke.

"Shut up teme! No on asked you," he said hotly. Sasuke cooly shrugged off Naruto's attempt at a jibe.

"Now now, no fighting. The mission hasn't even begun," Kakashi said, trying to placate the two.

_**'If this is how it'll be during the mission, kill me now,'**_ I signed, scrunching my nose in distaste. Watching the two argue was more fun when it was on the screen. I could already feel a headache forming and they were barely arguing.

_**'Hush Yuri-chan. You haven't been with Naruto and Sakura on a team. It's a never ending gag of slaps and whining,'**_ Ken said, rolling his eyes. I frowned.

_**'****Sakura shouldn't hit Naruto-kun. Have you seen the way he's been treated by the villagers?'**_ Ken nodded, his eyes narrowing. He hated Naruto's treatment with a passion. He thought it was disgusting that they could do that to a child. Daisuke and I agreed wholeheartedly.

"Hey, Ken, you agree right?!" Naruto yelled, bringing Ken into the argument. I pointed to his ears.

"Did you forget that Ken is deaf, Naruto-kun?" Daisuke asked. Naruto sheepishly chuckled, rubbing his head.

"Sorry!" Naruto pressed his hands together in apology. Ken shrugged, signing his answer to Daisuke.

"Ken says that it's fine Naruto-kun. He wasn't even paying attention to your argument," Daisuke said, amusement in his tone. Naruto's expression seemed to be a mix between a pout and a frown. He settled for the pout.

"Aw, and I was sure I had the teme this time!" he grumbled. I hadn't been paying attention either, but the expression on Sasuke's face didn't match up with Naruto's statement.

"You believe what you want to believe, dobe," Sasuke said, a smirk forcing its way on his mouth.

"If we're all done here," the Hokage interrupted abruptly, "I'd like to debrief the next team." Kakashi took that as his cue to herd us all out. Daisuke, Ken, and I all stuck together like glue. Sakura was brazenly tugging Sasuke around by his arm with a smug look on her face-the poor boy-and Naruto was shooting sullen looks at his crush from behind. If you could ignore us and Akiko, it was almost like they were Team Seven.

A strange feeling welled up in my chest. Without us here, things would be _normal_. These people would be fine without anyone interfering. I mean, sure, Sasuke goes off the deep end and Naruto is completely obsessed with him and his village and Sakura nearly gets killed because of her love, but they didn't need extras tagging along and _ruining_ everything.

As if they sensed my feelings, Daisuke and Ken reached out and took my hands in theirs. Ken gave me a soft grin and a thumbs up. Daisuke tried to mirror him but he didn't really know where my face was. I bit my tongue lightly, holding back tears.

At least I knew that if I was gonna fuck things up, I wasn't doing it alone.

...

..

.

Meeting Tazuna by the gate was one thing, but meeting him on time was another. We were supposed to be there in two hours but it was a hassle trying to find suitable weaponry. My father, a Jounin with considerable skill, helped me pack for the mission. He ruffled my hair as I walked away from our home, a large, proud smile on his face. I grinned back with butterflies tearing up my stomach.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. I mean, we were supposed to encounter _Zabuza Momochi_, the demon of the Mist. That guy was a complete nut job _and_ a powerhouse. Haku was slightly better, but only because he was closer to my age, which warped my perceptions of him. Something pricked at the edge of my memory but I shoved it away. I'd figure it out later. Right now though, I was supposed to be paying attention while Kakashi was talking.

Surprisingly, he was on time.

"I see all my cute little Genin are finally here! It does my heart proud to see them take after their late sensei," he said, rubbing at his eye theatrically.

_**'Sensei, you're not dead yet,'**_ I tapped, feeling exasperated. You wouldn't believe how often he called us his 'cute little Genin.' Kakashi winked(blinked?)at me. I put a hand to my forehead, sighing.

"Oh, is this your little kunoichi Kakashi-kun?" Akiko said, bending down and squinting at me. I flushed red at her intrusion of my personal space.

"That she is," Kakashi replied with a neutral tone. Akiko studied me briefly before deciding to crush me against her chest. I gasped for air as she swung me around like a doll, feeling my cheeks heat up even more. Well, at least Daisuke can't see what's happening. As it was, Ken was staring with wide eyes and I could see him beginning to laugh. And I meant an actual laugh with sound. Not the silent ones he always did. Akiko put me down, staring at him in amazement. I bounded over to Ken, a dangerous smile on my lips.

**_'Ken-kun~. Was that a laugh I just heard?'_** Ken flushed under my scrutiny and waved his hands in front of my face.

_**'No! You heard nothing Yuri-chan, nothing!'**_ He scowled but his heart wasn't in it. My smile slipped a bit and his eyes softened. Ken patted my head, like we were children again.

_**'We'll be alright. Believe it.'**_ I snorted, giggling like mad. Did he _seriously_ just say that? This isn't the Naruto dub!

Still, it made me feel a whole lot better about our precarious situation.

"I trust that we're all here and ready?" Kakashi said, taking command of the mission. He was the most qualified after all. I gazed around our group, noting that everyone was present. Sasuke hovered close to Daisuke and I, his expression bored but his eyes tight. He probably hadn't ever left the village either. Naruto was by Sakura, who shadowed Sasuke. Akiko stood next to Tazuna, Kakashi on his other side. We were most _definitely_ a ragtag group of shinobi.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

So there's the ending. This chapter feels a little weirder for some reason. Hmmmm...  
Ken knows he was laughing because he could feel the vibrations in his throat. So yeah, Team Six and Team Seven are on a joint mission for a 'training exercise.' Yeah right. The Hokage just wants to assess how well the two teams interact and their dynamics. He basically used Tazuna's mission as an excuse to do this. I'll get to the reason for that later, much later. Next episode we have the Demon Brothers of the Mist and a flashback! We'll get to see how Yuri met Ken _and_ how Yuri is going to deal with Zabuza and Haku. The fight this time is going to be radically different considering there's what, _eight_ people guarding the old drunkard? It's a little overkill and I don't imagine that Zabuza is going to beat two Jounin and six Genin, even if he is a pretty high class shinobi. Oh yeah, how did you all like Akiko? In earlier drafts she was supposed to be Yuri's, Ken's, and Daisuke's sensei but then I split up Team Seven and realized I needed her to be the other part of Team Seven's sensei. I won't reveal too much but Akiko _was_ reincarnated like our trio but she didn't want to remember so she didn't. However, that doesn't mean she _won't_ get flashes of memories occasionally. Reincarnation is a funny thing and you can't just wipe a soul clean of all its scars because it wouldn't be a soul anymore. It would just be an empty husk to fill. So the Shinigami developed a way to seal the memories, but their methods aren't always 100% airtight.


	6. Chapter 6

Yo guys! I'm back with the next update. I kind of dropped off the face of the Earth cause of exams and stuff but I am back now! I hope this chapter is up to par. I had a bit of a challenge writing it. As always, additional stuff at the end of the chapter.

'_**this is sign language'**_

_'this is thoughts and emphasis'_

**'this is writing'**

* * *

_The little, lonely girl ignored their stares. She ignored their comments and their glances. She wasn't going to cry because she was stronger than that._

_(But had it ever been this _hard_ before?)_

_She saw him before he saw her. Instantly, she knew. She couldn't remember how, but she knew him. And he knew her, too._

_Her lips curved into a smile and she ran over, fingers excitedly wriggling. He turned and his eyes lit up like a thousand twinkling lights, all turned toward her. She laughed and the sound would have been joyous if she could make one. He held out his hand and she took it for the first time, her fingers running over the back of his hand, exploring. He too explored her hand, eyes studying the soft lines and curves, memorizing the way her skin dipped._

_**'My name is Yuri,'** she signed, and, to her delight, he understood. His lips wouldn't stay still and they twitched into a smile._

_**'I'm Ken, Yuri-chan. So tell me, how was your trip to the Universal Library?'** He asked, eyebrow raised. She puffed her cheeks out, face redding in irritation. Ken found it adorable, but he wasn't going to tell her that._

_**'Short. And yours?'** Ken shrugged, his hand unconsciously squeezing hers._

_**'Very, very long.'** She nodded, eyes shining in understanding. He had been alone for so, so long._

_Yuri vowed that she would never allow him to be alone again as long as he breathed in this world._

_..._

..

.

The first three days of our journey were pretty plain and boring. With Tazuna, the normally three day trip to the Land of Waves would take an extra four days. That's what you get for setting a civilian pace.

The fourth day was when things began to get interesting. We had been walking through-you guessed it-the forest when I spotted a puddle. Something tugged insistently on my brain, demanding that I pay attention to it. Wasn't something supposed to happen? And wait, it hadn't rained in days and that puddle was fairly large. There was no way that was natural.

My palms were slicked with sweat by the time we passed over it. I could remember vaguely that two shinobi were going to attack and I wasn't ready for it. _Oh God, I wasn't ready for it at all._ My arms shook slightly and I could feel a panic attack on the edge of my consciousness. Who was I honestly trying to kid? I wasn't cut out to be a shinobi and even Sakura was more useful than me in the current situation. I couldn't...I couldn't actually _do_ anything. I was helpless and powerless. I choked back tears, trying to stay calm because it wouldn't do to cry before anything even happened.

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who reached out to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his gaze dark and heavy. He lifted an eyebrow, asking what was wrong silently. I shook my head and offered a tense, frightful smile. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, anything, when Kakashi and Akiko were attacked from behind. Instantly, his hand was gone and he turned to stare as the two were viciously ripped apart.

The two masked Chuunin said nothing. They barely batted an eyelash before they were trying to mow us down to get to Tazuna. I stood still, willing my fingers and toes and limbs to _move_, damn it. They wouldn't listen. Panic clawed its way up my throat and, miraculously, I jerked to the right, out of the way of those godawful claws. Sasuke stood in front of me, a kunai out. He didn't move his head to give me a look but his shoulders were tense.

"Protect Tazuna!" Daisuke ordered sharply, engaged in combat with the other Demon Brother. I forced myself to move in front of the bridge builder, my fingers curling around a kunai and holding it out in front of me. If nothing else, I would be a sacrifice to save this man's life and I would definitely give those guys a fight. I wasn't going to die in vain, not this time around. Sasuke shot off toward the Demon Brother, his body swerving and twisting gracefully. It was like they were tangled in a bloody dance and I was an understudy watching the professionals like a hawk.

Sasuke, Daisuke and Ken took care of the Demon Brothers rather quickly. I blinked, and it was over. Kakashi and Akiko hopped down from above to assist them and it was strangely quiet. I glanced over at Naruto, who was still frozen in shock. Understanding crashed into me. I took note of the surroundings, making sure there weren't anymore things out of place, and walked over to Naruto. My pencil and notebook were heavy in my hands and I swallowed down thick bile.

**'Naruto-kun, are you alright?'** I asked, wincing at the stupidity of the question. _Of course_ he wasn't okay. His body had been seized by fear, just as mine had. I plowed through it because even though I'd been afraid, I was still self-preserving and I had an obligation to protect Tazuna. The two Demon Brothers probably hadn't even seen Naruto on the battlefield. He'd been far enough away from the action that they just didn't care about him. And why should they? He was only a Genin, and they were skilled Chuunin.

"I...I'm...Yuri-!" He was grasping at nothing. I dropped the notebook with a soft thud and wrapped my arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. Naruto seemed shocked for a moment, but then he hugged back, hiding his face in my short hair. I felt a moistness tinge my shoulder but ignored it. His hands grasped my shirt, clenching it tightly and lifting it slightly. My own fingers tangled in his hair, rubbing his scalp soothingly. My fingers shook as I did so but I ignored that because someone _needed_ me, _Naruto_ needed me. I may have been afraid of the Demon Brothers, but so was he. We were alike in our fear.

"Ah, young love~" Kakashi said, appearing beside us. I glared at him frostily, a deep frown marring my face.

**_'Shut up Kakashi-sensei!'_ **I tapped on my head, face burning. Kakashi eyed the action then shrugged. Naruto pulled away, embarrassment on his face.

"Baka-sensei! We weren't-! It wasn't-!" Naruto huffed and turned his back on Kakashi, face red. I shot him another glare and reached for my notebook.

**'Don't you have a job to do sensei?'** I asked, my eyes narrowed. Kakashi sighed and waved me off.

"That's why Akiko-san is here. I'd hate to be_ those_ two right now." My eyes trailed over to stare at Akiko, who was kneeling in front of the captive enemy nin. They appeared unresponsive, slumped against the tree stump like that. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end the longer I watched.

"What is sensei doing?" Naruto asked hesitantly, shifting nervously. I tore my eyes away, a deep rooted fear settling in the pit of my stomach. How had Naruto ever managed to talk back to that woman when she was _that_ powerful?

"They're trapped in a powerful genjutsu," Daisuke's voice said. I stood and drifted closer to him. Daisuke grabbed my hand automatically, squeezing my fingers almost painfully tight.

"A genjustu?" Naruto replied, confusion settling on his features. My hand began shaking and I tried to will it to stop. Was I afraid of Akiko or those Demon Brothers? At this point, I didn't know.

"Akiko-sensei is a very powerful genjutsu user. Didn't you know that, Naruto?" Sakura asked, walking over to our half-circle. Sasuke followed slowly, his eyes blank and unreadable. I glanced away, suddenly ashamed. Ken came up to my other side, his hand twitching to grab mine. With a smile, I took his hand in mine. He fiddled with my fingers, his own shaking just slightly. He took a deep, calming breath to settle down and I frowned.

"She's very frightening indeed," Daisuke murmured, his Byakugan staring at Akiko's back. I wonder what he saw. I closed my eyes briefly and a wave of vertigo slammed into me. I swallowed heavily, my legs threatening to collapse. Ken's hand slid up my arm, tugging it over his shoulder. Daisuke copied Ken's actions, both of them carrying my weight.

_It was too much_. My head was swirling and my stomach violent heaved. I glanced down at my leg, eyes widening. I thought I had escaped the poison-tipped claw but alas, it seemed that the tip had broken the skin. A thin bead of blood had already scabbed over, so small it may have been overlooked. I tried to tell them that I'd been hit but oh right, _I was mute_. My mouth opened and closed uselessly. Still, it couldn't hurt to try. I heard something click, like a lock turning, and felt more fear pump through my system. My life was definitely in danger if my voice was being unlocked.

"_**P-P-P-Poisoned**_," I managed to say, my voice so tiny I might as well have not tried at all. But there was one person who could hear what I said.

Daisuke jerked, his milky eyes finding my own. His face paled and he hurriedly took my body into his arms, lifting me bridal style.

"Sensei, Yuri has-!" I couldn't hear anything else beyond my heart pounding in my ears. My eyes rolled and my mouth went slack-jawed, swelling painfully.

With a violent jerk, I lost consciousness, sheer terror pumping through my system.

* * *

_"I should've protected her! I made a promise!"_

* * *

**"It's no one's fault, Daisuke-kun."**

* * *

"If she dies, I will never forgive myself."

* * *

**"She's going to be fine. We got the antidote in her just in time."**

_"Then why isn't she waking up? It's been a day."_

**"Maybe she doesn't want to wake up. Maybe-"**

_"You take that back. Of course she wants to wake up! We're her family. You don't know anything about Yuri!"_

* * *

_A hooded figure appeared before the darkness that I'd found myself in. I trembled, instinctively knowing what it was._

_Shinigami._

_It floated closer, stopping inches before me. It tilted its head, curiosity emanating from its form. I watched as it kneeled, grabbing my hands in its stony grip._

_"You...you are not like the others I have taken," it said, releasing my hand. I swallowed uneasily._

_"I-I've died many times before, Shinigami-sama," I replied, mildly surprised that I could speak. I didn't recognize my voice, so this must be what I would have sounded like if you know, I hadn't had my voice sealed._

_"No...your soul is...incomplete," it said, two dark red eyes peering up at me underneath its hood. It stood, extending its hand once more. I hesitated. This wasn't supposed to happen was it? I wasn't supposed to die on my first C-rank mission, was I? It couldn't end like this!_

**"Yuri-chan!"** _Daisuke's voice boomed throughout the dark space. I flinched at the sheer volume, unconsciously backtracking toward it. The shinigami hissed._

_"No!" I turned and ran from it, running to the light that appeared._

**"Yuri-chan, don't you dare die on me! I swear I will hunt you down in the afterlife and kill you for dying on me! Ken too! So don't...don't leave us. We made a promise, Yuri. Didn't you promise you'd never leave us alone?"**

_I surged forward, strength returning to my spirit. That's right. I couldn't let something trivial like death get in my way. Daisuke and Ken wouldn't be able to function if I died. Behind me, the shinigami's protests were harshly silenced. I chanced a glance behind me and nearly tripped as I saw another shinigami force the one that had almost taken me back with a flick of its wrist. Cold dread entered my corporeal body but I forced myself forward._

I entered the light and found my eyelids fluttering rapidly. I was alive, miraculously.

* * *

Wowza. So yeah, Yuri almost died! She doesnt have the same combat experience that Ken and Daisuke had in some of their past lives, so she starts to doubt herself and become afraid of the Demon Brothers. Well, she only started to remember them once they'd attacked. She has a lot of memories to sift through after all and she hasn't watched Naruto in a while. Next time will be Zabuza I promise but its pretty anticlimatic. Oh yeah, Akiko is a genjutsu expert! Unlike the trio, she doesn't exactly _excel_ at the other two "main" types of jutsu but she's still a Jonin. Bleh, I don't like this chapter. _Ciao ragazzi! _


End file.
